2 out of 5 UK marketers still struggle with content marketing. How to be one of the successful ones in 2015

UK marketers are getting better, but 42% still rate themselves as ineffective at content marketing. If they want to get better results next year, they’d do well to sit beside people who’ve been successfully creating cash from content for years.

As we head into 2015, the content marketing revolution rolls on with gusto. Businesses on both sides of the pond have been diverting budgets away from print ads and messy email blasts and into the flowing tide of content marketing.

But we shouldn’t hail the revolution’s success just yet. The Content Marketing Institute’s third annual Trends report found that 42% of UK marketers are still be struggling to hit the juicy numbers promised in the mountain of eBooks we’ve been downloading this year.

Another of the report’s interesting findings is the shift in objectives. As many as 85% of UK marketers say one of their key goals is lead nurturing, just pipping lead generation and brand awareness. With sales traipsing along behind at 77%, it’s clear that today’s marketer recognises that content marketing is a subtle, long-term endeavour, and not a smash and grab.

Other traits of marketers getting it right this year have included having a defined strategy, clear ROI tracking and a regular publishing schedule. So if you want to be one of the winners in 2015, these are all good habits to adopt.

Why content marketers (and copywriters) should take a seat alongside an SEO guy

Next year people the world’s of SEO and content marketing will be converging like never before. With Google winning the battle against the black hatters, SEO has evolved from a technical discipline into a content driven one. For this reason, it’s a good idea to take a virtual seat alongside SEO guys who are routinely generating links, traffic and leads from content with aplomb.

The SEO guy I like to sit next to is Brian Dean from Backlinko. He’s the mastermind behind the ‘skyscraper’ link build withing technique I mentioned previously, which enables you to create content that stands tall and proud as the best in the industry.

Brian has been kind enough to share the three tactics he’ll be deploying to build more traffic, leads and nods of approval from his clients next year. They are:

Tactics 1 and 2 are staples for us copywriters. But number 3 may have you rolling your eyes. But in Brian we trust, and he has even identified three scientifically proven principles for creating content with the best chance of spreading like a plague (in a good way).

But I wont steal Brian’s thunder. I’ve borrowed too much from him already. If you’d like to discover Brian’s secrets to SEO and content marketing success in 2015 get signed up to his newsletter.

Your clients will thank you for it. Better yet, you’ll be able to claim your place among the 58% getting it right at content marketing next year.